Anderson Hills hit hard in Harvest, again: 'In less than 20 seconds, it was over' (slideshow)

HARVEST, Alabama -- Levon Green and his daughter, Neysa Green, 14, took cover in a small bathroom in their Anderson Hills home Wednesday afternoon as the world swirled around them.

"It didn't sound like a train, but it was close," Green said a few hours later while emergency vehicles swarmed the affluent neighborhood on Alabama 53.

The Greens made it out of their Tempo Circle home without being injured from the apparent tornado. But others in north Madison County were not as lucky. Officials said there were two unconfirmed deaths from the storms that raked the county.

The winds tore off the roofs of several Anderson Hills homes, felled large trees and scattered debris throughout the streets. Across the highway, a convenience store/pharmacy and a supermarket were destroyed.

An emergency worker on the scene, who declined to give his name, said he stopped counting the damaged homes in Anderson Hills because "so many were damaged and some were just gone."

Wednesday was the second time Anderson Hills has been devastated by a tornado. A May 1995 tornado also destroyed several homes and claimed one life.

The Greens didn't live in Anderson Hills in 1995, but other residents surveying damage Wednesday afternoon said Wednesday's storm was worse than the 1995 tornado.

George Ellis said it cost him $190,000 to repair his home in 1995. "This was much worse than the last time," he said as he stood in his driveway with his car covered by much of his missing roof.

Ellis had his pet dog on a leash, but said he had several cats that were missing.

Green said the storm acted like a tornado because leaves and debris from outside blew into the house in a circular motion.

Eric Wilburn, another Tempo Circle resident, also said leaves and debris were blown into the house he shares with his mother. He said they got less than five minutes' notice that a storm was approaching. They took shelter in a bathroom, and Wilburn covered his mother with his body.

"Next thing we knew, the roof was coming off and glass was breaking," Wilburn said. "In less than 20 seconds, it was over."